


I'm Writing this to Let You Know

by writerllofllworlds



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Canon Divergence - Avengers: Endgame (Movie), F/M, Gen, Hurt, Hurt Peter Parker, Letters, M/M, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Tony Stark Coparenting Peter Parker, Mentioned Ben Parker, Pain, Peter Parker Calls Tony Stark "Dad", Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Precious Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark is a Good Dad, Whump, With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility, ben was a good uncle, peter parker is the strongest avenger change my mind
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:14:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22153090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writerllofllworlds/pseuds/writerllofllworlds
Summary: November 12th, 2015Peter’s handwriting had always been so neat. He had joked with the kid once, before he… before the Snap, about how he wrote better than Pepper did. The boy laughed lightly, cheeks dusted with a blush. Tony had chuckled at the kid’s embarrassment, happy to simply be basking in the innocence that was Peter Parker.Dear Ben,Tony jolted, his stomach dropping quicker than gravity on a stone. These were letters. They were Peter’s letters. To Ben.
Relationships: Ben Parker & May Parker (Spider-Man), Happy Hogan/May Parker (Spider-Man), James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 26
Kudos: 391





	I'm Writing this to Let You Know

**Author's Note:**

> The full title of this work is "I'm Writing this to Let You Know that I'm Doing Just Fine." Just thought you'd like to know!
> 
> Anywhoozles, as always, I'm up to my usual bullshit. Pain and angst and Irondad and Spiderson feels. You've been warned. 
> 
> I wrote this in between writing the second chapter for my other thing that I'm writing, and it was a quickie, so sorry if it's not amazing. I'm starting back to school tomorrow and I wanted to get something out before I begin the crazy again. 
> 
> Hope ya'll like it! Love you 3000!

Clearing out Peter’s old room was harder than Tony had thought it was going to be. He had left it be for so long, had kept it untouched by everyone. No staff, not even Pepper had been in here. Hell, Tony himself had barely set foot inside this room since the Snap. But they were moving all their stuff to the cabin and … well, this had to be done. 

In hindsight, Tony should have gotten help. Doing this alone was definitely a bad decision. 

He’d gotten all the normal stuff out of the way without a hitch. The bed was collapsed and the mattress put in the hall. All the kid’s clothes were put into boxes, the trophies were taken off the shelves. The posters were a little more difficult; Tony’s fingers ghosted over the Ironman poster, tracing his own mask with a somber expression. He moved on, rolling up the papers and threw them in the trash bag by the door - the kid didn’t need them now. The closet was emptied and the nightstand pushed out beside the mattress. 

The hard parts were the pieces of Peter. The picture collage around his desk made Tony’s breath hitch. His own face grinned up from almost half of the photos, the only person up there more being Peter himself. His fingers trembled slightly as he took them down, cherishing every smile that his kid gave to the camera, all the head-back-mouth-open laughter that Friday had captured because she knew that Tony loved staring at the true happiness that enveloped his kid’s features. He traced the Stark Internship photograph with fondness. They both had a copy of this one, Tony’s sitting in the cabin’s kitchen, a reminder of his other kid. 

The one he’d lost. 

He put away the pictures without any tears and moved on to the random things that were left. Putting away all the things on Peter’s desk and the stuff on top of his dresser took three boxes, all labeled to be given away or tossed. He turned to survey his handiwork and found a box in the corner, hidden almost completely by a blanket that Peter had been given by his Uncle Ben after Skip. 

He hadn’t seen this box before. Had Peter left it the last time he… 

Intrigued and perhaps slightly masochistic, he knelt next to his finding. He removed the blanket, folding it gently and setting it aside. Turning his attention to the box, he was startled at the title, written in classic Peter Parker script: letters. 

Even more interested than before, he lifted the lid and couldn’t help the pained smile that slid across his lips. He had them categorized by date. Had there ever been a time when this kid wasn’t a massive nerd? The tabs started in 2016, and Tony suspected whatever was inside this box pertained to the beginning of his superhero crusade. Moving aside the first divider, he lifted the forefront paper, and upon reading the date, his suspicions were confirmed. 

_November 12th, 2015_

Peter’s handwriting had always been so neat. He had joked with the kid once, before he… before the Snap, about how he wrote better than Pepper did. The boy laughed lightly, cheeks dusted with a blush. Tony had chuckled at the kid’s embarrassment, happy to simply be basking in the innocence that was Peter Parker. 

_Dear Ben,_

Tony jolted, his stomach dropping quicker than gravity on a stone. These were letters. They were Peter’s letters. To Ben. 

Oh, God. Was he allowed to read these? Whether or not he was, his mind had already decided that it was going to continue. 

_It’s been a week since you died. May keeps saying that I should write letters to you to express what I’m feeling, since that what she did after her mom and dad died. She’s done so much for me, so the least I can do is try, right?_

_People keep saying “passed away” and “gone”, which I didn’t know would drive me insane until I heard them do it the first time. You didn’t disappear. You aren’t “gone”. You aren’t some stupid Jedi ghost that I can see whenever I use the force._

_You’re dead. You died. And it’s my fault._

_For all my stupid talk about bravery and superheroes, I was a coward. I failed and you died. I didn’t lose you, Ben. I killed you._

_I’m so sorry._

_May’s been talking about therapy, but without your job, we can’t afford it. She’s struggling even more after the funeral. I think seeing your body be put six feet under just made it real. This wasn’t some undercover mission when you don’t return for a week or days of the night shift when we don’t see you. You’re dead._

_I miss my parents, but they died when I was four. I’ve been able to mourn them and I only remember small parts of my life with them. You’re the man who raised me. Everything I am is because of you. What am I supposed to do without you?_

_I wish it had been me._

_It’s not the same without you, Ben. It never will be._

_It’s too quiet_. 

Tony was trembling. He held the letter in his hands and stared at the words, dark ink against white paper, glaring up at him. Would Peter have written to Tony if he had been dusted instead? Would there be letters of regret like this one? Would Peter wept while he wrote. Did he weep when he wrote this?

The same child who wrote this fought Thanos. The same child who wrote this died in Tony’s arms. 

Suddenly he was determined to read each letter. He promised himself that he was going to understand Peter’s pain. He was going to listen to Peter’s story in a way he never had before and he was going to see just how truly good his kid was. 

He jerked, breath choppy as he yanked the next letter out of the box. 

_November 30th, 2015_

_Dear Ben,_

_The web-shooters work. Finally. I’ve been doing a bunch of different experiments in AP Chem and I finally got one that’s strong enough that I can swing between buildings. I got stupid burns on my hands but it’s so worth it. It’s getting harder to keep this whole thing from May but I can’t tell her. She’d never let me keep doing this, not after you died._

_It feels like justice, like I’m making up for your death. With great power comes great responsibility, right?_

_Don’t know if it’s great power, Ben. I feel so worthless._

_May is taking on double shifts almost every day. I don’t see her much, and when I do it’s so quiet. I never noticed how much we laughed until you weren’t here to make us. I’m trying to come up with jokes to cheer her up. I used the one you did about the holy water? She laughed until she cried and then scolded me for cussing, so I guess it’s a win. Making her smile was always your job, you said. I guess it’s mine now._

_I thought it would get easier but it’s been three weeks and I feel worse. How does it do that? People always said that it would get better but I still feel like my lungs are crumbling to dust whenever I think about you and I can’t breathe. Is that normal?_

_I’m tired, Ben. I’m really tired._

_I didn’t know sadness could be this tiring. But it is. I wonder if I’ll feel like this forever._

Tony could see him, little fourteen-year-old Peter, crying over his scorched hands, shaking in the corner of his bathroom as he tried to wrap his fingers in bandages. Could see in HD perfection the tear tracks down his pale cheeks, the hitched breath as he bit his lips to stifle his sobs. His heart hurt, pained and broken at the thought of his boy being so alone. 

_January 7th, 2016_

_Dear Ben,_

_Do you think I’m a monster?_

_Sometimes I look at myself and see something so horrible that I couldn’t possibly be anything else._

_Do you think I’m a monster?_

Was this Peter’s life? Had this been his mindset for months, years? Did he still think this, even after everything? After saving the world and Vulture and dying? Had he thought this when he had faded away in Tony’s hands? Had he hoped Ben would still let him in with open arms? Had he doubted if he was worth that?

Tony often joked that no one could possibly have the same degree of self-loathing as he did. He had hoped no one would ever contest that. Peter had done it by the age of fourteen without knowing, without conscious effort. 

Tony wished he’d found Peter earlier. He wished he’d sought him out because of concern, not because he wanted to win a stupid fight between him and Steve. He wished he’d taken the boy and made sure he was alright, did tests to ensure his safety, get him therapy. He wished he’d trained him, looked upon this little kid and decided that he was so heroic, brave, selfless and he would _protect_ him. 

The letters continued through May in the same manner, slowly but surely gaining more optimism as Tony knew they would. Even enduring loss, Peter Parker retained his goodness, something so few humans could achieve. 

And then the letter that Tony was expecting. 

_May 10th, 2016_

_BEN YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BELIEVE WHAT JUST HAPPENED TO ME_

_So, you know Tony Stark. THE Tony Stark?_

_HE KNOWS WHO I AM._

_Well, he knows who Spiderman is. But he came to May’s apartment and asked for me and he asked me to come to Germany with him and then he gave me a new suit and then I fought Captain America and it was awesome._

_He’s just as cool as I thought he’d be. Tony Stark, of course. Cap’s cool and all, but when did he create an army of titanium alloy supersuits?_

_You remember the Stark Expo? I almost told him about it but I chickened out at the last minute. What do you think he’d do, if he knew that little kid was me? Do you think he ever got my drawing and the letter I sent? I feel like he’s way to busy to read stupid fanmail but wouldn’t that be crazy?_

As in the little kid that had the Ironman mask on? That kid?

God, Tony had met Peter before he’d actually met Peter. 

_I think I’m going to marry this suit, by the way. You wouldn’t believe the versatility of this thing. And it doesn’t scratch my skin or stain at all. That and it’s super protective. I didn’t think it was going to have any shock absorption because of how thin it was, but it has a crazy amount of shock absorption! I feel like is Christmas, Ben!_

_I hope you’re proud of me. That’s what I think every time I put it on, every time I go out as Spiderman. I hope that wherever you are, if you’re watching, I hope you’re proud to call me your kid._

_I miss you, Ben. But I’m a hero because of you._

_Thank you._

Tony swallowed. Compared to all the letters he’d read that exposed Peter’s self-hatred, his poor self-esteem and all the blaring neon signs of his depression, this letter was a star shining in the darkness. It was a billboard that exclaimed, “I am here and I am okay!” 

_November 2nd, 2016_

_Dear Ben,_

_I messed up. Ben, I messed up so bad._

_I didn’t mean to, Ben. I just wanted to help. I just wanted to save people. That was the whole point. Spiderman was supposed to help people. And I messed it up._

_I lost my Stark Industries internship. Mister Stark won’t talk to me. He took my suit. I never deserved it in the first place. God, what was I thinking? Me? A superhero? I’m such an idiot. Why did I ever think that I could be anything better than what I already was? I’m a worthless, stupid, ugly mistake who causes nothing but hurt and trouble. I’m ruined, Ben._

_I’m ruined._

_Sometimes I think I’m cursed._

_If there’s a God, I don’t think he likes me. But that’s okay. I wouldn’t either._

_I wish I could prove to Mister Stark that I’m better. He wanted me to be better than him, even though that’s impossible. I can’t be better than him. I can’t, Uncle Ben. But I can help. I tried so hard, Ben. But I disobeyed once and now I’ve ruined everything._

_Please forgive me, Ben. Please, please, please._

_I’m so sorry._

_I’ll fix it, Ben. I promise._

Had Tony done that? Had Tony made Peter slip back into a mindset of months prior when he had hated himself to no end and called himself a monster? Had _Tony_ done that?

Protect him my ass. 

He’d hurt him. 

_November 7th, 2016_

_Dear Ben,_

_I fixed it. I promised I would._

_I beat the Vulture. A building fell on me and all that, but it’s okay. It was worth it. You should see the scars on my back from where he grabbed me. Yeesh._

_I’m sorry I failed you. I’ll be better._

_Promise._

Tony winced as if he’d been struck. Peter felt like he had to make up for everything. He took every offense, every death personally and shouldered that terrible weight until he thought he couldn’t take any more and then he took _more_. He had the body of a teenager and the soul of a man centuries beyond his age. He was so much like Tony it was scary. They weren’t biologically related, and Tony hadn’t even been around when the guilt complex began, but he wished he’d had more time. More time to help him, to tell him it wasn’t his fault. 

_March 1st, 2017_

_Dear Ben,_

_I miss you, but it’s not as bad as I remember. I guess it does get a little better. There are still some days when I can’t breathe when someone says your name. I still have nightmares about your blood on my hands. But not every night and Tony is always there. I have a feeling he always will be._

_May warmed up to him much faster than I thought she would. They co-parent now. I stay weekdays with her and then every other weekend with Tony. Miss Potts is kind of becoming a mom to me. It’s nice. It’s like having a family again. I wish you could be a part of it, but you can’t._

_I’m starting to learn that that’s okay._

_I saved a little girl yesterday. Her name was Jenny. She had a Skip too. I’ve never felt more like a hero than when the police arrested him. That’s what I want to do. I want to save people and when Jenny hugged me I felt it. That’s what Ironman did for me when I was her age. I know Skip’s still out there. I know that what he did will haunt me forever. But it doesn’t have to control me. Being a hero is all about rising above our fears. Our demons aren’t destroyed, they’re mastered. We use them as stepping stones towards a better day._

_What you said that day, I said it to her. Thank you for that. I hope that every child has an Uncle Ben like I did. You were perfect._

_I miss you every day, but that’s okay. Tony says he still misses his mother, but that’s okay too. Loss is part of life and we have to feel it to appreciate every single day we have with those we love. He’s a wise man, Ben, even though he doesn’t think so. He could use a little bit of that classic Parker advice, couldn’t he?_

_I love you, Ben. Thank you for loving me too._

Tony wondered if Peter was an angel in disguise. He wondered if he’d lost his wings on the way down from heaven and gotten stuck here as a child. No human being was this good, this pure. It wasn’t possible. Even Morgan, beautiful and perfect as she was, wasn’t like this. Of course, she was five, but still. She screamed when she got a papercut, and Peter was accepting grief and moving forward. 

How long had it taken Tony to do that? Had he ever?

The nightmares of dust between his fingers answered for itself. 

_July 10th, 2017_

_Dear Ben,_

_I called Mister Stark “Dad” today. I hope you aren’t mad that I never called you that. It never fit with you but with him, it fits. I know that sounds stupid and I felt so bad that I had to write a letter. I know I haven’t written in a while. You were the man who raised me for ten years and I never even called you dad._

_He wasn’t mad. I think it made him happy. He said that I was the closest he was going to get to a real kid. He said he was proud of me._

_It felt good, Uncle Ben. It felt like you were there, almost. Not as if Mister Stark is replacing you, but that you were there too. You were in the room, Anakin Skywalker to Luke in Return of the Jedi style, smiling on._

_I don’t feel so alone anymore, Ben._

_You all would get along. He has your heart._

The letters lessened as time passed. Soon only one every other week, then once a month, then once every four months. Finally, there was one last one, the date only a few days before the end of the world. Tony remembered this day perfectly. It was a Saturday. He thought when Peter had slipped away to write this letter. It had been a lab weekend, the two geniuses cooped up in the Tower with twenty pizzas and enough cranberry juice to drown an elephant. They’d gone through every AC/DC album and were cycling through Bon Jovi when Peter had fallen asleep at the table. Tony had laughed and taken about fifty pictures before carting the kid off to the couch, wrapping him in blankets, and turning on Star Wars: A New Hope. He’d turned to leave and return to his work, but Peter’s hand around his wrist had stopped him. With one imploring look, he’d tucked himself right next to his boy and pulled the kid into his chest. And there they had stayed. 

A week later, Peter was ash in the wind, a broken apology his final words.

_April 19th, 2018_

_I know I haven’t written anything in a while. This whole thing started because I was hurting and I wanted to be able to express that. I’m not hurting like I was then. I’m better._

_Ben, I’m okay._

_May and I are tighter than ever. She still can’t cook, but apparently, I have a knack for it. I’ve started cooking before I go out on patrol and we eat dinner every night. I’ve written down all your dad jokes and they never fail to make her laugh. She has such a pretty laugh, doesn’t she, Uncle Ben? You were one lucky dude. She and Dad had a parenting meeting about Flash a few weeks ago and it was amazing to witness. Both of their lawful good personalities taking no bs from a teenager? Steller. Amazing. I was blessed to see it. They do a really good job of taking care of me, Ben. You’d be happy._

_I don’t deserve her. I don’t think either of us did. Though, wouldn’t it be such a sorry existence if we only got what we deserved?_

_Dad isn’t someone I deserve either, but I don’t think I get a say in that one either. I think I’m kind of his kid now. He loves me a lot, Ben. He never says it, but he doesn’t have to. I get it. He’s lost a lot of people too and his dad sucked, so he isn’t like you. He doesn’t say it every morning like you did, but he acts like you. He messes with my hair and kisses my forehead and calls me “Butterbean” and “Kiddie”. He makes me feel safe, Ben. He makes me feel loved._

_I guess I’ve always felt like I was dropped on your and May’s door and that you guys didn’t have a choice in taking me in, that you did it out of love for my mom and dad. I know that isn’t really true, I do, but I feel it sometimes. Dad - Tony wasn’t landed with me. He chose me. He wants to spend time with me and train me and protect me. He chose to make me his kid. He chose that. He didn’t owe me or May anything. He did it because he wanted to._

_I know I’m not a little kid anymore. I know I’ve seen some dark stuff. I’ve been through dark stuff. But I’ve come out the other side. I’ve gotten better. I’ve survived._

_And I’m gonna continue to survive. I promise._

_So, don’t you worry, Ben._

_I’m doing just fine._

Tony had met millions of people who were good. Not just good people but _good_ people. Steve Rogers, soldier and friend, a man who had lost years of life, his best friend, who had every reason to clock out but chose to be the leader of the Avengers. Bucky Barnes, tortured and dehumanized, turned into a murderer and criminal, who owed the world nothing, strove to make up for his crimes every day. Natasha Romanov, a highly trained assassin and Russian spy, who had sacrificed her life to save the world, still continued to save it again and again. Wanda Maximoff, a girl who’d lost everything, who was tested on and given powers she couldn’t control, became one of the few people who could hold Thanos back. James Rhodes, a war hero who had lost his legs, who’d served his time and country, still protected people, still helped those who didn’t deserve it, who would never help him. Clint Barton, a man who had lost his entire family in the Snap, who had ventured down a dark path, had come back to repent for his wrongdoings and set things right. 

Peter Parker. A kid who’d lost everything, who had been raped, hurt, traumatized, who was ready to sacrifice his life for the world that had never helped him, never deserved him, who owed no one else anything. A kid who’d gotten superpowers and instead of flaunting them or becoming famous, instead of using them for his own gain or evil intent, became a hero who protected people, who strove to make up for mistakes that should never have fallen on his young shoulders. A kid who looked at the world, the billions who didn’t know him, didn’t help him, didn’t love him, and he loved them anyway. 

Tony seemed to have a knack for finding the best people. What diety looked at him, selfish and weak and everything that his kid shouldn’t want to be, and decided that he needed a Peter Parker?

Perhaps it was because of all those things that he needed a Peter Parker. 

“You know, when Mom said you were going to get a head start for me, I don’t think she meant you to do all the _work_ for me.”

Something tugged in Tony then. He thought of Benjamin Parker, of the wonderful man who raised his Peter, and he thanked him. He laughed wetly and strained his ears to the heavens, hoping that somewhere up there Ben Parker was laughing through his own tears because he knew. He had sent that kid, had helped Tony walk straight into his giant heart and make a fortress there. He thanked him, blessed the righteous man who had looked at Anthony Edward Stark and said that out of all the people in the entire world, he should get to love Peter Parker.

“Dad?”

The man blinked, suddenly hyper-aware of the tears on his cheeks because of the worry in the person’s tone. His hands shook as he stared at the paper, the last letter staring back at him. 

“Tony? We’re just moving all this stuff to the lake house, remember? You don’t need to cry.”

The man still did not answer. He continued to stare at the letter between his fingers, one of the last pieces of evidence of the boy before the Snap, the wide-eyed, innocent but not nearly as innocent as Tony thought he was, beautiful, _precious_ boy that Tony Stark had labeled as his own before either of them really got a say. No need to cry? Was he serious? This box was full of everything that made Peter _Peter_ , all his sass and quirks and laughter that shone like the sun from his smile. All the goodness that seeped through every crack that had been made in his big heart, the light that colored every stained glass. All the sorrow that had turned into strength, all the pain that had turned into protection. This box was years of loss which would leave any other seventeen-year-old falling with no hope of anything but hitting the cold hard ground alone. Helpless. This box was years of loss that had changed Peter into a knight in armor made from his own heartbreak. This box was years of hurt that Peter had changed into humor, kindness, compassion. It was years and months and weeks and days and hours of Peter Benjamin Parker becoming a hero. 

“Tony? Dad, are you okay?”

He looked up, misty eyes catching the brown gaze so similar to his own. He stared into the boy’s soul, the purest soul he’d ever met, and he smiled. 

“Yeah, Pete. I’m okay.” 

The kid laughed, tension leaking out of his shoulders with his dad’s confession. He knelt next to his adoptive father and cupped his scruffy chin, an action that the older man had done to him countless times. He used his thumbs to wipe away Tony’s stray tears. “You look kind of out of it. You sure you’re alright? Did you get a flashback?” 

What on earth did he do to deserve this kid?

Tony reached up and wrapped his fingers around Peter’s wrists. “No, Butterbean. Give your old man some grace here. The last time I went through your things was when you died. I just don’t remember this being here last time.” 

Peter’s brows furrowed in gentle curiosity. “Hmm?” 

He followed Tony’s eyes to the storage box. His gaze lit up with recognition. “Oh! Yeah, I brought that in a few weeks ago. May had put them in a storage unit in Queens after she moved out of our apartment.” Peter released Tony to scratch the back of his neck, cheeks darkening in embarrassment. “He just, um, feels a little closer when I have them. Sorry, I shouldn’t have had them out like that.”

For being such a genius, Peter really could be so stupid sometimes. “Peter Benjamin Parker-Stark. Don’t ever apologize for something like this. This,” he lifted the box and shook it gently. “Is part of you. It’s years of shaping into who you are - into the hero you are. And I _love_ you.” 

It was odd for such an affectionate person like Peter to doubt others’ love for him, but it seemed like he never truly believed when Tony told him. He’d started doing that almost every day since he’d gotten the boy back, just to make sure he knew. He’d let Peter die once without telling him. He’d never make that mistake again. 

“I love you too,” Peter leaned into the hands that Tony placed on his cheeks. “Three thousand, even.” 

“I love you three thousand too.” Tony rubbed their noses together. 

“Even when I’m being a ‘stupid little shit’?”

Tony laughed, loud and free and wonderful. Warmth settled even deeper into his stomach and his heart ached in the best way. Not for the first time since he had gotten Peter back, he understood completely what other parents talked about when they spoke of unconditional love. He’d felt it with Morgan, of course, but with Pete it was different. Peter wasn’t his biological son, he hadn’t grown up with Tony as his father. Peter was the child that Tony had chosen, whether or not either of them knew it at the time. He was the son that Tony had not known that he wanted, had _never_ truly wanted until he met Peter. Peter hadn’t been handed to Tony right after he’d come out of the womb, he hadn’t seen his first steps or heard his first words. He hadn’t helped him make his first peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He hadn’t been able to hold him when his parents died or when his uncle died or when he was raped. He hadn’t been there to tie his shoelaces and kiss his cheek. 

But he _had_ been there to put bandaids on his broken nose. He’d wrapped up broken wrists and scraped knuckles. He’d wiped away panic attack tears. He’d held his hand when they walked through warehouses or parking garages. He had watched the new Star Wars movies with him and taught him how to drive. He had held his shaking body as he died and he had been there to hold him when he’d returned. “Even when you’re being a little shit. Maybe especially then.” 

Those beautiful brown eyes glistened. There was a life full of pain, loss, hurt. A life that had made him strong and kind. A life that had made him Peter. 

And it was amazing. 

“Thank you.” 

Tony could talk for hours about how Peter didn’t need to thank him for this, for anything. He could spew words upon words of his undying love, how Peter didn’t owe him, how he should be thanking the kid, not the other way around because Peter had saved him from himself and that was something that no other living person had ever done. But he didn’t. Instead, he leaned down and held his son’s eyes like he was the most precious thing in all creation. 

And he _was_. 

“For the rest of my life, kiddo. Don’t you ever forget it.” 

This kid was _chosen_ by Tony’s heart. He’d laid claim, had spoken for him, was willing to make any sacrifice, had given his entire life for this kid. He’d do it all again in a heartbeat if it meant that Peter could smile one more time. 

Morgan was his daughter. She was sassy and adorable and the baby that he’d helped create. She was perfect. Peter was anything but. 

He was his son. He was kind and gentle and had the biggest heart that Tony had ever seen. He’d stumbled into Tony’s love like a drunk pigeon and he’d stayed there. He’d failed and made mistakes and he’d messed up but he was _human_. He was imperfect, had flaws, and he _fell_.

But Peter Parker always got back up. 

And every time, he came running right back into Tony’s love as if he’d never left. 

“You wanna take this with us to the cabin?” At Peter’s little nod, Tony picked up the box and settled it on his hip. He wrapped his other arm around his kid’s shoulders. Peter tucked himself into his dad’s side, right where he belonged. 

“Maybe you could frame some of these or something. Hang them up? I’m sure Ben would love that.” 

Peter’s smile brightened up every dark corner of Tony’s soul. It lit up any dim room and chased away all the demons. “Yeah. Uncle Ben was the sentimental type.” 

“Me too,” Tony grinned fondly, ruffling his son’s hair. “Come on. I can hear Morgan and Pepper in the kitchen. Let’s go make sure that they don’t burn the Tower down, shall we? Besides, you might as well go and save Pepper from having to cook. God knows that you can whip up a three-course meal in the time it takes that woman to make one good fried egg.” 

“You love her though.” 

“Of course I do,” He snorted. “She’s brilliant. However, brilliance does not equate good cooking skills, does it?”

“Apparently not, because I can cook wonderfully.” Peter snickered, ducking away from Tony’s gentle reprimand. 

“Don’t call my son stupid. He’s the smarted idiot I know.” 

Peter laughed and Tony smiled. He rested his cheek against Peter’s scalp, and together they walked down the hall towards the rest of their family. He could hear the other Avengers arriving for Sunday dinner. Steve’s deep tones were heard, followed immediately by Morgan’s high pitched giggles and Bucky’s soft chuckle. As they neared the kitchen the elevator doors chimed open and Natasha’s dry tone questioned two super soldiers throwing their niece in the air. Clint began asking if he could have a turn and Wanda was asking if Pepper wanted assistance at the stove. Tony knew that Stephen, Rhodey, Nebula, Scott, Hope, and Bruce were all on their way. Thor would probably show up at some point, Loki appearing at his side with the excuse that he just came to see Peter. Happy and May would stroll in with desert, hand in hand, whispering about wedding plans that no one else confessed to knowing about. 

And Peter would hug Tony around the middle. He’d scoop Morgan up in his arms and twirl her above his head. He’d gently push Pepper to the side and take over dinner, Wanda and he a dynamic duo. He’d roll his eyes as the super husbands came over and pitched in, ruffling Peter’s hair and asking about MJ. He’d sing Morgan’s favorite Disney song, whatever it happened to be that evening, as he danced around the kitchen, silently and smoothly doing he and Loki’s secret handshake whenever he passed by. He’d kiss Pepper and May’s cheeks and he’d call Pepper “mom” just to watch her blush. He and Natasha would do their “spider thing”, whatever that was (none of the others knew anything about it and no matter how much cracking, neither would share) then let Nebula interrogate him about his health. He’d hug them all, but Stephen for the longest time (besides Tony of course), then go bouncing back to the kitchen to finish. 

And then when dinner was ready and the plates laid out, he’d come back to Tony, just like he always did, and he’d smile that Peter Parker smile, and all would be well. 

Peter and Tony rounded the corner, the sight making Tony’s heart settle. 

_Don’t worry, Ben._

Tony turned and pressed a kiss into Peter’s chocolate curls. 

_We’re doing just fine._


End file.
